As passengers begin to return to the skies, airlines and airports must do everything they can to give these timid returnees plenty of confidence. Visible, effective sanitization is vital during the recovery phase, and methods of fogging or spray sanitization are a great way to do that.
The rise of spray sanitization
The new normal of post-COVID travel brings with it all sorts of concepts we never heard of before. Suddenly we’re all experts in HEPA filters, we know how to queue at an appropriate distance from one another, and our handbags contain at least one face covering at all times.
Another concept that has really been thrown into the spotlight is the practice of ‘fogging’ or spraying large areas. Over in Japan, early on in the crisis, cities deployed small armies of people to disinfect all the places their communities frequented. The results spoke for themselves.
As the BBC reported in July, Japan had a curiously low virus infection rate, despite its packed in, populous cities. Greater Tokyo has an amazing 37 million people, most of whom get around on the city’s packed trains. Despite this, only some 70,000 cases have been recorded in the country, less than 0.06% of the population.
While other factors likely also came into play, Japan’s strategy of widespread fogging to disinfect areas definitely played its part. So what can aviation learn from this?
Application for aviation
A number of airlines have begun fogging aircraft on a semi-regular basis. Some of these treatments include an electrostatic element, designed to help the disinfectant cling to surfaces in the cabin. While this certainly helps, it’s the dispersal of tiny droplets of disinfectant that really does the hard work.
Most importantly, fogging is a highly visible process. Seeing airport workers or airline employees working with fogging machines gives passengers confidence that hygiene is taken seriously. Restoring passenger confidence is one of the major challenges the industry has to overcome.
Fogging has a dual benefit for airports and airlines – it is not only effective; it also shows your customers that you care.
The ideal product
Innovative product designer and founder of the HANDiGROUP.com, Mike Cohen, has brought to market a range of products that tick the boxes for the aviation industry, with the ethos of offering confidence to passengers. The PORTiBAC range of disinfectant sprayers are simple to use, cost-effective, and ideal for airlines and airports alike.
Mike explained to us how easy it is to use the PORTiBAC 1500 10L backpack. The user just flicks a switch and then can control the output with the flow adjuster.
The PORTiBAC comes in a range of sizes. The smallest is just 30ml, for personal protection, with devices in 650ml, 2l, 5l and 10l sizes.
The 10L backpack version is ideal for widespread sanitization and would prove useful in airports and other high traffic public areas. With the larger PORTiBAC models, an entire aircraft can be sanitized in as little as 40 minutes.
The smallest version is a 30ml battery-operated mist spray, making it incredibly portable for on the go sanitizing. The 650ml handheld cordless gun could be great to use in the cabin at any time, for spot disinfection or mid-flight lavatory fogging, for example.
As an added bonus, the PORTiBAC makes the area smell nice too! Mike told us,
“This product is an essential and effective tool in protecting and preventing the spread of pathogenic microbes, ensuring the maintenance of human health. Our signature scent is vanilla, but we can also offer cinnamon and citrus too.”
The solution used in PORTiBAC sprayers is eco-friendly and contains no alcohol or chlorides. It is proven to kill 99.999% of bacteria and viruses, including SARS-CoV-2, so it is perfect for sanitizing all areas of any airport or aircraft.
For further product enquires, please email info@PORTiBAC.com.